Special Operations Group 9
Orgins SOG9's origins can be traced back to the heights of the Second World War. After a Soviet Tactical Deep Battle Operation resulted in the collapse of the Allied Greek front during the winter of 1947, Greece was overrun by Soviet Armored and Infantry divisions. By the spring of 1948, the Soviets had reached the outskirts of Athens, the capital of Greece. In a dual attempt to stall the Soviet advance and give Greece's King, Prime Minister, and other government officials enough time to be evacuated by helicopters, Allied forces fortified Athens and settled in to defend the capital city. At first, the Soviet Infantry Divisions were halted and beaten back giving time for government officials to evacuate. However, as Soviet Armored Divisions reinforced their infantry for the prolonged Siege of Athens, the Allied casualty and death toll became increasingly high. By the third day of the battle, a stalemate between Allied and Soviet forces had occurred. USSR Field Marshal Radik Gradenko, in a change of tactics to overturn the stalemate and demoralize the Allied Greek forces, ordered the bombardment of Greek UNESCO historical and heritage sites throughout Athens. Many monuments were damaged but, in a devastating event that disheartened Greek Allies, the Acropolis of Athens was reduced to ruins by a Soviet V-missile. Shorty after, the Allies retreated from Athens and, within a month, Greece had fallen to the Soviets. The Siege of Athens resulted in the deaths of over 40,000 Athenian civilians. Many historians view this moment as a pivotal change in the war. While tactically advantageous, the actions perpetrated by the Soviets was politically disastrous for the USSR. The complete destruction of the Acropolis and the high civilian death toll shocked and outraged world leaders and galvanized global support for the Allies. In a 281-7 vote, Allied diplomats led the UN in approving a unique military initiative aimed at increasing global Allied support. The passed proposal called for a global defense agency to be temporarily established. This "United Nations Global Defense Agency" or "UNGDA" became a special forces peacekeeping group. It is unknown how much effect this agency had during the war or what missions they carried out during the war and afterwards as those missions were never declassified. Financial cutbacks to UN military funding after WWII officially ended further shrouded the organization from public eye although, it later became classified by certain high profile UN officials as "Special Operations Group Echo, Black Ops 9". There is some speculation that Tanya Adams may have become the commander of this peacekeeping spec-ops force soon after the war as she also disappeared from the public eye, this despite her status as an international hero. Special Operations Group Echo, Black Ops 9 The Reorganization After the chaos between 1992-95, in accordance with the United Nations Global Defense Act, the majority of 'Special Operations Group Echo, Black Ops 9' was reorganized into the Global Defense Initiative but the core remained (unofficially) as the renamed Special Operations Group 9. Category:SubFaction